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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. root — the cause
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. fall — to drop
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fall — the season
  16. race — the arms race
  17. row — a line
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — of a word
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — in an idiom

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