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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 116 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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. net — for catching
  3. race — a contest
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. net — after costs
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — a leader
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hand — help
  19. race — the arms race
  20. root — of a word
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. dip — to sink
  23. race — humankind
  24. net — in sport

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