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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. root — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. suit — in cards
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a document
  11. roll — a cake
  12. mark — a grade
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. clip — a video
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. current — of water
  19. suit — to fit
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. roll — a list
  23. mark — a trace
  24. clip — to cut

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