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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — a law
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. root — of a word
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — the amount
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. current — electric
  11. rule — government
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — the cause
  14. capital — money
  15. staff — a stick
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. content — happy
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. craft — a skill

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