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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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Word bank
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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. race — a contest
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wound — an injury
  15. race — the arms race
  16. game — wild animals
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. wound — an injury
  20. race — humankind
  21. root — of a plant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wind — to turn a key

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