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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — electric
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. current — happening now
  13. root — of a word
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitch — completely
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pop — soda
  21. file — a document
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — of water
  24. root — the cause

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