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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. root — of a word
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cap — a lid
  11. race — humankind
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rule — government
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rule — a law
  17. root — the cause
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — a contest
  20. root — of a plant
  21. spell — magic
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cap — of ice

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