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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — of ice
  3. root — of a plant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cold — not warm
  13. root — of a word
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. drill — army training
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. root — the cause
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — happening now
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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