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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — humankind
  3. root — of a word
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — for sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. kid — to tease
  11. root — of a plant
  12. race — a contest
  13. root — the cause
  14. race — the arms race
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — a subject
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — farmland

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