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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. root — of a plant
  3. firm — decided
  4. current — electric
  5. snap — to click
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a word
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. current — happening now
  11. firm — a company
  12. stand — to bear
  13. ball — a great time
  14. firm — steady
  15. root — the cause
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. current — of water
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. straw — dry grass

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