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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. game — a match
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. current — of water
  7. object — an aim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — a thing
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. current — electric
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pop — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. current — happening now
  22. pop — to visit
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — soda

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