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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: date · rash · squash · club · chip · bear · root · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. root — of a word
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. chip — for betting
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bear — the animal
  10. club — a group
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. root — of a plant
  16. club — for dancing
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. club — for golf
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. root — the cause
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cap — a hat

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