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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — of a plant
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. net — after costs
  10. current — electric
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. root — the cause
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. current — happening now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — of a word

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