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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — for catching
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. chip — to eat
  7. clip — a video
  8. rule — a law
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. band — a ring
  12. root — of a word
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. net — after costs
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rule — government
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — to cut
  22. band — a music group
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bear — 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