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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. race — humankind
  4. ball — a great time
  5. race — the arms race
  6. band — a ring
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wind — moving air
  9. root — of a word
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a music group
  13. race — a contest
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kid — to tease
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant

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