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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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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: root · game · bark · ruler · chip · kid · charge · plane

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. charge — a price
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kid — child
  11. game — a match
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a word
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. charge — electricity
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. charge — in control
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chip — in a computer

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