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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 · race · spell · rock · season · hide · content · root

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. root — of a word
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — for betting
  7. season — in sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. race — a contest
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. root — of a plant
  13. race — the arms race
  14. season — of the year
  15. chip — to eat
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spell — letters
  18. content — happy
  19. rock — a stone
  20. root — the cause
  21. rock — music
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. race — humankind

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