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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. board — a committee
  3. chip — for betting
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pop — music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pop — soda
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. root — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. board — to get on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pop — to visit
  22. root — of a word
  23. chip — to eat
  24. straw — dry grass

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