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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. root — the cause
  4. current — electric
  5. court — of law
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. root — of a plant
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. current — happening now
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pit — in a race

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