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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. track — a song
  3. root — the cause
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — a path
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. root — of a word
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. chip — to eat
  24. land — ground

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