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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. race — a contest
  4. lie — to recline
  5. race — humankind
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. root — of a word
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — help
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. drill — the tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. drill — army training
  19. last — final
  20. perch — the fish
  21. race — the arms race
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. perch — for a bird

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