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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. root — of a word
  2. capital — money
  3. race — humankind
  4. pound — a weight
  5. race — a contest
  6. file — a document
  7. game — a match
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a tool
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rule — government
  15. game — wild animals
  16. race — the arms race
  17. capital — a city
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — a law
  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