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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. current — of water
  8. mark — a trace
  9. scale — in music
  10. land — ground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. root — of a word
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. current — electric
  20. scale — size or range
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — to come down
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. root — the cause

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