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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. content — the amount
  3. key — in music
  4. current — of water
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. root — the cause
  7. club — for golf
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. club — for dancing
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cold — an illness
  12. content — happy
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. club — a group
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rock — music
  19. root — of a word
  20. cold — not warm
  21. key — for a lock
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. content — videos and posts

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