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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mug — a face
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. root — the cause
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rash — hasty
  13. root — of a word
  14. current — happening now
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — a position
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — the earth
  22. current — electric
  23. rash — a series
  24. kid — to tease

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