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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — a contest
  4. ground — a position
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bound — certain
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — an injury
  11. race — humankind
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ground — crushed
  14. swing — in golf
  15. root — the cause
  16. ground — the earth
  17. race — the arms race
  18. dip — to sink
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. swing — to play on
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. root — of a plant
  23. swing — music
  24. root — of a word

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