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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chip — to eat
  3. root — of a plant
  4. present — the time now
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. root — the cause
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chair — a leader
  18. root — of a word
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chair — to sit on

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