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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — humankind
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — the cause
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — magic
  10. fine — all right
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — a contest
  14. spell — letters
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. root — of a word
  18. pass — a permit
  19. rash — a series
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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