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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. net — for catching
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. race — the arms race
  5. root — of a word
  6. race — humankind
  7. drill — the tool
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — soda
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. root — the cause
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pop — to visit
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. root — of a plant
  23. race — a contest
  24. mouse — for a computer

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