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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. current — of water
  8. root — the cause
  9. fall — the season
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. root — of a word
  12. last — finally
  13. land — to come down
  14. last — to go on
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. land — a country
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. land — ground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. straw — a straw man

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