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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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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 · rash · deal · fall · root · bowl · field · chest

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. field — a subject
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — farmland
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chip — to eat
  19. field — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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