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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. current — happening now
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. current — of water
  5. root — the cause
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. root — of a word
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. march — the month
  17. pass — a permit
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. march — the month
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. current — electric

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