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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. current — happening now
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. root — of a word
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. root — the cause
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. deal — to handle
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a plant
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. current — electric
  21. board — a committee
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. board — to get on
  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