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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bulb — for light
  3. current — electric
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chest — a box
  7. rash — a series
  8. root — of a word
  9. hand — in cards
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. current — happening now
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — help

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