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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — magic
  7. root — of a word
  8. lean — to bend
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rash — a series
  11. net — for catching
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lean — thin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. lean — to rest against

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