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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. root — the cause
  3. chip — for betting
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. scale — in music
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. root — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rash — a series
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — of a word
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bat — the animal

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