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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — child
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kid — to tease
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — to tire
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bore — to drill
  12. root — the cause
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — in football
  16. track — a path
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. track — a song
  19. current — electric
  20. track — to keep track
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. root — of a plant
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. kick — a thrill

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