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

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — the cause
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. race — humankind
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. season — of the year
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — the animal

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