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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · perch · chip · race · club · face · mug · root

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. root — of a word
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. face — to confront
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mug — a cup
  7. perch — the fish
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chip — for betting
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — the cause
  13. race — humankind
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. mug — a face
  19. race — the arms race
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. root — of a plant
  22. club — a group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — for dancing

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