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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · court · press · root · snap · file · current · wake

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. press — newspapers
  4. race — the arms race
  5. file — a tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. court — of a king
  8. root — of a plant
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — of a word
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a document
  13. court — for sport
  14. race — a contest
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. file — a line of people
  20. press — a publisher
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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