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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: cell · toast · chair · net · rock · current · fall · root

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. current — of water
  3. rock — a stone
  4. net — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — for catching
  8. current — electric
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. root — of a plant
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. fall — the season
  15. root — of a word
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a leader
  18. net — after costs
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fall — to drop
  23. toast — bread
  24. root — the cause

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