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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: staff · chip · game · lie · dip · file · bowl · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. dip — to sink
  4. root — the cause
  5. game — wild animals
  6. staff — a stick
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. file — a tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. chip — for betting
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. staff — employees
  20. file — a document
  21. lie — to recline
  22. game — a match
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lie — an untruth

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