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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. root — of a plant
  3. race — humankind
  4. degree — temperature
  5. race — a contest
  6. fall — the season
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — in sport
  12. root — of a word
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. net — after costs
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. net — for catching
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. root — the cause

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