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

Word bank: ruler · racket · root · mine · rule · row · chip · ground

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — the cause
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rule — government
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. root — of a word
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ground — crushed

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