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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mug — a cup
  4. band — a ring
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. race — the arms race
  7. band — a music group
  8. root — of a word
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. root — of a plant
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ground — a position
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — the cause
  24. scale — in music

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