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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pop — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. current — electric
  6. root — the cause
  7. cell — in biology
  8. root — of a word
  9. current — happening now
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pop — soda
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — a permit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. shower — rain
  21. pop — to visit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. current — of water

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