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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.

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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mark — a grade
  4. current — of water
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. scale — in music
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — of ice
  13. land — to come down
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — a country
  17. root — of a plant
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. root — the cause
  20. current — happening now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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