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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — army training
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. current — electric
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — magic
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. current — of water
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tear — to rip
  19. current — happening now
  20. drill — the tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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