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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  2. season — in sport
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. root — of a word
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. root — of a plant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stand — to bear
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. craft — a skill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. craft — boats
  15. race — a contest
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. race — the arms race
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — of the year
  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