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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · board · pound · root · kick · chip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. board — a committee
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. kick — in football
  16. root — of a word
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — to eat

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