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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: pit · last · current · root · foot · face · race · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pit — in a race
  4. last — finally
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. last — final
  10. current — electric
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. last — to go on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. race — a contest
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. current — of water
  19. face — part of the head
  20. race — humankind
  21. face — to point toward
  22. current — happening now
  23. foot — the bottom
  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