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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — a contest
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — to grow
  18. root — of a word
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. lie — an untruth

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