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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — a country
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bound — certain
  8. root — of a plant
  9. club — for golf
  10. land — ground
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rash — hasty
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — a group
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. land — to come down
  24. club — for dancing

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