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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. root — of a word
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — a position
  6. object — a thing
  7. root — of a plant
  8. object — to protest
  9. file — a document
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — happening now
  12. march — music
  13. object — an aim
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. club — for golf
  18. march — the month
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. ground — the earth
  22. root — the cause
  23. march — the month
  24. file — a tool

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