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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stock — shares
  5. root — of a plant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — a video
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — goods
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ball — a great time
  17. root — of a word
  18. sharp — clever
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. current — of water

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