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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. race — the arms race
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — final
  6. race — humankind
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a word
  16. last — finally
  17. root — of a plant
  18. kick — in football
  19. bore — to tire
  20. can — a tin
  21. race — a contest
  22. can — a tin
  23. racket — for tennis
  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