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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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Word bank
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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. charge — electricity
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. foot — a measure
  5. charge — a price
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chip — for betting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — to tease
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — child
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. degree — from a university
  21. root — the cause
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. charge — in control

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