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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — in football
  5. cue — a signal
  6. race — a contest
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fall — the season
  9. race — humankind
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cue — a hint
  13. root — the cause
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. roll — a cake
  24. root — of a word

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