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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — humankind
  4. club — for golf
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. mark — a trace
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. club — a group
  18. craft — a skill
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mark — a grade

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