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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. root — of a word
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. root — the cause
  7. content — the amount
  8. cold — an illness
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. content — happy
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. current — happening now
  18. root — of a plant

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