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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — the earth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. clip — a video
  8. ground — a position
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — to push
  17. bass — low music
  18. current — happening now
  19. root — the cause
  20. clip — to cut
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. current — electric
  24. clip — for paper

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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