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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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chair — a leader
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. root — the cause
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chip — to eat
  21. root — of a word
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chair — a professorship

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