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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. root — the cause
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. race — humankind
  6. bound — tied together
  7. root — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. root — of a word
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bound — obliged
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bound — certain

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