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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — of a word
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. chip — to eat
  6. vault — a safe
  7. track — to keep track
  8. race — the arms race
  9. hand — help
  10. track — a song
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. track — a path
  18. root — the cause
  19. rash — hasty
  20. race — a contest
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rash — a series
  24. chip — for betting

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