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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. root — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to click
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — of water
  16. root — the cause
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. game — a match
  23. root — of a word
  24. cap — a hat

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