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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. race — humankind
  3. chip — to eat
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cold — an illness
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a word
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. race — a contest

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