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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. root — of a word
  4. fine — high quality
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chip — for betting
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fine — all right
  9. cue — a signal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. row — a line
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cue — a hint
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fall — the season
  20. face — to confront
  21. root — the cause
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cue — for pool
  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