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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — an illness
  4. march — the month
  5. root — of a word
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. root — of a plant
  11. race — humankind
  12. firm — steady
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. hand — help
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. race — a contest
  19. firm — decided
  20. hand — in cards
  21. race — the arms race
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. root — the cause

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