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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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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: kid · clip · chair · stock · cue · pop · root · foot

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. pop — to visit
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kid — to tease
  6. root — of a word
  7. kid — child
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stock — shares
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cue — a hint
  18. stock — goods
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — a video
  21. cue — a signal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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