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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spell — letters
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cue — a signal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chip — to eat
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — the cause
  23. content — the amount
  24. chip — in a computer

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