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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. game — wild animals
  3. object — an aim
  4. cap — a lid
  5. root — of a plant
  6. game — a match
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — to shout
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — to protest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. object — a thing
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mate — to breed

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