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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a word
  3. key — the most important part
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. race — a contest
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — for a lock
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. race — the arms race
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. squash — the sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. key — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. root — of a plant
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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