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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. current — electric
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bound — obliged
  10. current — happening now
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — certain
  23. current — of water
  24. bowl — to 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