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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — a path
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — in cards
  5. net — in sport
  6. track — a song
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — after costs
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bear — the animal
  15. race — a contest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — employees
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bear — the animal

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