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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: rash · current · mine · root · roll · game · rule · snap

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. current — happening now
  5. rule — government
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. roll — a cake
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. roll — a list
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. current — electric
  15. rash — a series
  16. root — of a plant
  17. current — of water
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rule — a law
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. root — the cause
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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