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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. suit — clothes
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. plane — a tool
  9. capital — money
  10. spring — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spring — the season
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. suit — to fit
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — a coil
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitch — completely
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wake — a trail

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