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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. land — a country
  4. root — of a plant
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lie — to recline
  14. root — the cause
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — a contest
  21. root — of a word
  22. game — a match
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of a tree

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