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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. net — in sport
  3. race — a contest
  4. net — after costs
  5. root — of a word
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — a hat
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. last — to go on
  10. race — humankind
  11. root — the cause
  12. net — for catching
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cap — of ice
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. last — final
  21. root — of a plant
  22. last — finally
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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