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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. land — to come down
  3. present — a gift
  4. root — the cause
  5. race — the arms race
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. land — a country
  8. current — electric
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. saw — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. root — of a word
  14. present — there
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a plant
  17. present — the time now
  18. race — humankind
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. club — for dancing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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