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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — employees
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chip — to eat
  5. staff — a stick
  6. root — the cause
  7. track — a path
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. staff — employees
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. root — of a plant
  17. can — to be able to
  18. root — of a word
  19. chip — for betting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. can — a tin
  23. track — a song
  24. bore — to drill

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