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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. root — the cause
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — help
  10. chip — for betting
  11. field — for sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. root — of a plant
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — a subject
  16. bulb — for light
  17. club — for golf
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. club — a group
  24. root — of a word

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