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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. root — the cause
  4. wake — a trail
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. land — ground
  7. season — in sport
  8. current — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chair — a leader
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. land — to come down
  15. ground — crushed
  16. root — of a plant
  17. current — happening now
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. current — electric
  22. season — of the year
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. root — of a word

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