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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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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. shower — to wash
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — happening now
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. craft — boats
  8. current — of water
  9. snap — to click
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — electric
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — a match
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — the cause
  24. 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