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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. race — a contest
  3. root — of a word
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — wild animals
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. race — the arms race
  10. last — final
  11. race — humankind
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — a subject
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. last — to go on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — finally
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. arm — part of the body

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