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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. root — the cause
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. root — of a plant
  7. foot — a measure
  8. root — of a word
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. roll — a list
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chair — a leader
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. field — for sport
  21. roll — a cake
  22. squash — the sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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