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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cold — an illness
  3. plane — a tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. cold — not warm
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chip — for betting
  9. root — of a word
  10. march — the month
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. march — music
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. race — a contest
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — to eat

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