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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. current — happening now
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. key — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. current — of water
  21. root — of a word
  22. current — electric
  23. key — for a lock
  24. squash — to crush

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