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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — help
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — for pool
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. root — of a word
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. current — of water
  20. game — a match
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hand — in cards
  23. current — electric
  24. saw — the tool

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