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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kid — to tease
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. root — of a word
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cue — for pool
  12. scale — in music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — child
  19. root — the cause
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chip — to eat

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