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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. root — the cause
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. current — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. staff — a stick
  14. current — electric
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — rain
  17. game — a match
  18. toast — bread
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. game — wild animals
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — a law

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