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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chip — to eat
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rest — a break
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chip — for betting
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — a jug

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