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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. roll — a list
  3. race — the arms race
  4. root — the cause
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. board — a committee
  8. root — of a word
  9. race — humankind
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitch — completely
  14. root — of a plant
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fine — all right
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. race — a contest
  24. pitch — a sports field

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