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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — happening now
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — electric
  6. root — of a word
  7. pop — music
  8. root — the cause
  9. current — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. spring — of water
  14. firm — a company
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. firm — steady
  20. hand — help
  21. club — a group
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. club — for dancing

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