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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. root — of a plant
  3. row — a line
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. root — of a word
  7. current — of water
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. net — for catching
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. root — the cause
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. row — to paddle
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  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