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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. root — the cause
  3. fall — the season
  4. charge — a price
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. rash — a series
  7. file — a line of people
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fall — to drop
  11. row — to paddle
  12. current — of water
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. file — a tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a document
  21. charge — electricity
  22. row — a line
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rash — on the skin

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