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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: game · chest · chip · sharp · bore · chair · capital · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bore — to drill
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chest — a box
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. sharp — clever
  10. root — the cause
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chip — to eat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. game — wild animals
  17. root — of a plant
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. game — a match
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — a professorship

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