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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. root — of a word
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the fish
  6. date — the fruit
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. root — the cause
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. race — the arms race
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — a country
  19. key — in music
  20. object — a thing
  21. land — to come down
  22. bass — low music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. land — ground

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