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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. current — happening now
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. key — in music
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. current — of water
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ground — crushed
  14. race — a contest
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. current — electric
  17. ground — a position
  18. firm — a company
  19. root — of a plant
  20. firm — decided
  21. ground — the earth
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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