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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. date — the fruit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. root — of a word
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. root — the cause
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. capital — a city
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tube — a container
  17. foot — a measure
  18. race — a contest
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. race — the arms race
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. foot — the bottom

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