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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — in cards
  4. root — the cause
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — government
  7. current — of water
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. current — electric
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rule — a law
  22. current — happening now
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. roll — on a roll

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