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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. kid — to tease
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. face — part of the head
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kid — child
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. face — to point toward
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — the cause
  15. face — to confront
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chip — to eat
  19. row — to paddle
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. row — a line
  23. root — of a word
  24. bowl — a dish

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