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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — electric
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. drill — the tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — a practice
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. root — of a word
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — army training
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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