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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. firm — decided
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — letters
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wake — a trail
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. spell — magic
  16. firm — steady
  17. root — the cause
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — a company
  20. current — electric
  21. rule — government
  22. current — of water
  23. rule — a law
  24. ball — a round shape

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