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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. root — the cause
  3. court — for sport
  4. current — of water
  5. court — of a king
  6. current — electric
  7. kick — in football
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a word
  10. band — a music group
  11. object — to protest
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. saw — the tool
  14. court — of law
  15. object — an aim
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. object — a thing
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — of a plant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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