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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 116 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 · root · bat · staff · ball · hand · ruler · tear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — help
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — the animal
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ball — a dance
  20. root — the cause
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. staff — a stick
  24. tear — from crying

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