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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. drill — the tool
  3. race — humankind
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. root — of a word
  9. drill — a practice
  10. race — the arms race
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. drill — army training
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — the cause
  23. row — a line
  24. pitcher — a jug

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