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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. root — of a word
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. current — happening now
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. deal — to handle
  11. root — the cause
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — happy
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — the amount
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pitch — completely

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