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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. root — the cause
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. board — a committee
  8. court — of a king
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. board — to get on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mate — to breed
  14. game — a match
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — a partner
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mate — a friend
  21. root — of a word
  22. row — a line
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com