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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. march — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. current — happening now
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — the month
  7. root — of a word
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. snap — to click
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. root — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bat — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — a line
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — to paddle
  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