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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. root — of a word
  8. current — of water
  9. rash — hasty
  10. current — electric
  11. root — the cause
  12. capital — money
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — a series
  18. march — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — to tire

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