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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stem — to come from
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. root — of a word
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — to crush
  10. plane — a tool
  11. foot — a measure
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kick — in football
  14. race — humankind
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — letters
  17. squash — the sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. root — the cause
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spell — a short time
  24. root — of a plant

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