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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — of a plant
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. file — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. current — electric
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rush — hurry
  16. current — happening now
  17. mate — a partner
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. root — the cause
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — of water
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a document
  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