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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chip — to eat
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. track — a path
  24. game — wild animals

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