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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — army training
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. file — a document
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bass — low music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. drill — a practice
  9. season — of the year
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — of water
  12. file — a tool
  13. bass — the fish
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. season — in sport
  16. pass — a permit
  17. current — electric
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — to add flavour

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