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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mate — a partner
  3. current — of water
  4. cue — for pool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cue — a signal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. cue — a hint
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. row — to paddle
  16. root — the cause
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. content — happy
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. root — of a word
  22. content — the amount
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. current — happening now

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