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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — of a word
  5. court — of a king
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chip — to eat
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — a position
  17. root — of a plant
  18. race — humankind
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — part of the head
  21. race — a contest
  22. root — the cause
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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