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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: snap · toast · lie · race · current · hide · shower · root

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. current — happening now
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. shower — to wash
  5. root — the cause
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to click
  9. shower — rain
  10. toast — bread
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. lie — to recline
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. current — electric
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. current — of water
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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