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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — happening now
  3. root — of a plant
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a word
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cell — a phone
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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