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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rule — government
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. dip — to sink
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. current — happening now
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — to keep track
  14. current — of water
  15. net — for catching
  16. wound — an injury
  17. root — of a word
  18. net — after costs
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. root — the cause
  22. net — in sport
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. root — of a plant

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