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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mine — for digging
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. charge — a price
  8. root — the cause
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — of a word
  12. charge — in control
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bass — low music
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chip — for betting
  19. charge — electricity
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — the fish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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