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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. root — of a word
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. toast — bread
  11. race — a contest
  12. game — wild animals
  13. scale — size or range
  14. root — of a plant
  15. press — a publisher
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. scale — in music
  18. press — to push
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. press — newspapers
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. root — the cause
  24. sharp — clever

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