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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 116 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — a position
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. stock — shares
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. current — electric
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — the earth
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cap — of ice
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. kick — in football

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