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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. field — a subject
  3. kick — in football
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fine — high quality
  6. snap — to click
  7. fine — all right
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. root — the cause
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. field — farmland
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. root — of a word
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — for sport
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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