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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chip — to eat
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — shares
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stock — goods
  14. root — the cause
  15. ground — the earth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. stem — to come from
  24. drill — a practice

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