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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bound — certain
  8. root — the cause
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. root — of a word
  13. bound — tied together
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. scale — in music
  20. rash — a series
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. root — of a plant
  24. scale — size or range

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