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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. current — happening now
  4. rule — a law
  5. tear — to rip
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. root — the cause
  12. march — the month
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a plant
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pit — a hole
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rule — government
  19. march — the month
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. march — music
  22. current — electric
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. ruler — a monarch

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