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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. root — the cause
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — a coil
  10. root — of a word
  11. cell — in biology
  12. race — the arms race
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spring — of water
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. plane — a tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. plane — an aircraft

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