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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — help
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pop — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. root — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. root — the cause
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. object — an aim
  20. race — a contest
  21. root — of a word
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pop — to visit

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