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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. root — of a word
  20. game — a match
  21. scale — size or range
  22. root — the cause
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — of a plant

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