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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. root — the cause
  3. foot — a measure
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — letters
  6. chip — to eat
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. race — a contest
  17. key — for a lock
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. race — the arms race
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. kid — to tease
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. chip — for betting

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