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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. last — to go on
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spring — of water
  6. last — final
  7. pass — a permit
  8. race — humankind
  9. spring — the season
  10. root — the cause
  11. shower — to wash
  12. last — finally
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — rain
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spring — a coil
  20. root — of a word
  21. race — a contest
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — to drill
  24. chest — a box

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