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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — a friend
  6. root — the cause
  7. fall — the season
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. root — of a word
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. race — a contest
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. root — of a plant

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