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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rule — a law
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. key — the most important part
  5. race — humankind
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. root — the cause
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rule — government
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — hasty
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. key — in music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. can — a tin
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rash — a series
  24. safe — out of danger

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