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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — a line
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. root — of a plant
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fall — the season
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chip — for betting
  10. root — the cause
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — for pool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — of a word
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — a signal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cue — a hint
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mine — belonging to me

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