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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pop — soda
  4. shower — rain
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pop — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. root — the cause
  14. chip — to eat
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fork — in a road
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pop — to visit
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. leaves — of a tree

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