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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. root — of a word
  4. capital — money
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. current — of water
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — of a plant
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. capital — a city
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — electric
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chip — for betting
  21. root — the cause
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chip — to eat

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