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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. race — a contest
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. root — the cause
  7. mark — a trace
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. race — the arms race
  12. club — for dancing
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. club — for golf
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. root — of a plant
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. race — humankind
  23. root — of a word
  24. mark — a grade

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