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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. firm — decided
  3. rock — music
  4. race — humankind
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. race — a contest
  9. firm — steady
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. firm — a company
  12. race — the arms race
  13. game — wild animals
  14. root — of a word
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spring — of water
  24. leaves — to go away

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