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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. firm — decided
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chip — for betting
  7. root — the cause
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. sharp — clever
  13. firm — a company
  14. kick — in football
  15. toast — bread
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. root — of a plant
  18. chip — to eat
  19. root — of a word
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — farmland
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. firm — steady

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