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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. stock — shares
  4. current — electric
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — the cause
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stock — goods
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a word
  15. capital — money
  16. rock — a stone
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rock — music

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