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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pop — to visit
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — shares
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pop — soda
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ground — a position
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — the cause
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — of a word
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stock — goods
  24. pop — music

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