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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. ground — a position
  3. root — of a word
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cap — a hat
  6. race — humankind
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mate — to breed
  11. current — electric
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fork — in a road
  16. current — happening now
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — the cause
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. root — of a plant
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms 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