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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — obliged
  5. root — of a plant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. land — ground
  15. root — of a word
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. land — to come down
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. root — the cause

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