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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. race — a contest
  3. mark — a grade
  4. race — humankind
  5. root — the cause
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. net — in sport
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — help
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — after costs
  14. root — of a plant
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — the fish
  19. root — of a word
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — for catching
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mark — a trace

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