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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rash — a series
  3. roll — a cake
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — a leader
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tube — a container
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. root — of a word
  21. roll — a list
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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