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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ground — the earth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — electric
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ground — crushed
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. current — happening now
  15. root — of a plant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. current — of water
  18. dip — to sink
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ground — a position
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a match
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. calf — a young animal

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