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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hand — help
  7. ground — the earth
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. root — of a plant
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cue — for pool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. ground — a position
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. root — the cause

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