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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. root — of a word
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — to eat
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — the cause
  10. field — farmland
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mate — a friend
  16. key — in music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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