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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. pop — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. current — electric
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — to cut
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — of water
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. suit — in cards
  17. drill — a practice
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. clip — a video
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. root — of a word
  24. current — happening now

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