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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. root — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. can — a tin
  9. rule — a law
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rule — government
  19. degree — temperature
  20. clip — a video
  21. degree — from a university
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — for paper

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