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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hand — help
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fall — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — electric
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — happening now
  17. toast — bread
  18. mate — to breed
  19. root — the cause
  20. cold — not warm
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fall — to drop
  24. root — of a word

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