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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. file — a document
  3. root — of a plant
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. file — a line of people
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pop — soda
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pop — to visit
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bore — to drill
  20. file — a tool
  21. root — the cause
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. race — the arms race
  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