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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. roll — a list
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. scale — in music
  11. current — electric
  12. mate — to breed
  13. roll — a cake
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. current — of water
  24. scale — size or range

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