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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. current — electric
  3. degree — an amount
  4. root — of a plant
  5. firm — a company
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cap — of ice
  8. firm — steady
  9. degree — temperature
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bore — to drill
  14. current — of water
  15. firm — decided
  16. root — of a word
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — final
  22. current — happening now
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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