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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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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. drill — army training
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. race — humankind
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ball — a dance
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — the earth
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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