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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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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: rock · root · hand · chip · content · rush · game · pit

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rock — music
  7. root — of a word
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. root — the cause
  11. content — the amount
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. game — wild animals
  20. content — happy
  21. rush — hurry
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rush — a thrill

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