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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cue — for pool
  4. root — of a word
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cue — a signal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. deal — to handle
  19. last — finally
  20. root — the cause
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. cue — a hint
  24. deal — a big deal

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