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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ball — a great time
  3. file — a tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. season — of the year
  12. bark — to shout
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chip — to eat
  16. root — the cause
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ball — a dance
  24. season — in sport

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