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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: race · bowl · root · chip · field · squash · bulb · stock

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. root — of a word
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. race — a contest
  12. stock — goods
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stock — shares
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — the cause
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. field — a subject
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. squash — to crush

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