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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. root — of a word
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. kid — child
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. stock — goods
  11. rule — government
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — for sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — the cause
  20. field — a subject
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. field — farmland
  23. mug — a face
  24. root — of a plant

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