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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rock — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — of the year
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. file — a document
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — a match
  24. rock — a stone

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