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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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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: last · chip · root · perch · deal · tear · roll · net

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chip — to eat
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — the fish
  7. deal — to handle
  8. net — in sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chip — for betting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a word
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. root — the cause
  17. roll — a list
  18. tear — from crying
  19. last — final
  20. net — after costs
  21. last — to go on
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — to rip

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