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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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Word bank
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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mine — for digging
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ball — a dance
  9. current — happening now
  10. drill — army training
  11. root — of a plant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. drill — a practice
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. pass — a permit
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. drill — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. root — the cause
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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