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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. root — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. march — the month
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. rest — a break
  8. saw — the tool
  9. deal — to handle
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. march — music
  14. present — a gift
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — of water
  17. rest — what's left
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — there
  21. march — the month
  22. present — the time now
  23. current — happening now
  24. net — in sport

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