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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. race — humankind
  3. track — a song
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. face — to point toward
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — for betting
  17. face — to confront
  18. race — the arms race
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stem — to come from
  23. track — a path
  24. face — part of the head

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