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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a line
  6. last — final
  7. net — in sport
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. root — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — the animal
  16. net — after costs
  17. root — of a word
  18. game — wild animals
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. row — to paddle
  23. root — the cause
  24. race — humankind

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