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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tube — a container
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. race — humankind
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spell — a short time
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. race — the arms race

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