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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bore — to drill
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. season — in sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. root — of a plant
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. root — of a word
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a leader
  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