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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. current — electric
  3. root — of a word
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ground — the earth
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ground — a position
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — the cause
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stand — to bear

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