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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. race — the arms race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fine — high quality
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. race — humankind
  11. root — of a plant
  12. land — to come down
  13. root — of a word
  14. bulb — for light
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. root — the cause
  21. land — ground
  22. fine — all right
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. land — a country

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