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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rash — hasty
  3. charge — electricity
  4. court — of a king
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of law
  8. object — an aim
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. charge — a price
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — a break
  19. root — of a word
  20. race — a contest
  21. object — a thing
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. charge — in control
  24. root — the cause

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