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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. date — the fruit
  4. hand — help
  5. drill — army training
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. root — of a plant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. chip — to eat
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — in cards
  21. root — the cause
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. date — on the calendar

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