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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. root — the cause
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — of a plant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spring — of water
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. race — a contest
  16. spring — a coil
  17. date — the fruit
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. root — of a word
  22. ground — the earth
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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