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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — electric
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. firm — steady
  7. root — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. firm — decided
  11. current — of water
  12. staff — a stick
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — in a road
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. firm — a company
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. current — happening now
  23. kid — to tease
  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