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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — a safe
  3. spring — of water
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ground — the earth
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bound — tied together
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — the season
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bound — certain
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wind — to turn a key

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