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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pit — in a race
  3. current — happening now
  4. root — of a word
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. drill — army training
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mug — a cup
  12. root — the cause
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. board — to get on
  16. current — electric
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — of water
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pit — a hole

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