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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rash — hasty
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rash — a series
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — electric
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chip — for betting
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. root — of a word
  19. current — happening now
  20. root — the cause
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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