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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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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: chip · root · mate · wake · capital · racket · current · bat

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — electric
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. current — of water
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — a trail
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — a city
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — money
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mate — a friend
  24. current — happening now

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