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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. race — a contest
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — humankind
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — of a word
  13. hand — in cards
  14. perch — the fish
  15. race — the arms race
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. root — the cause
  19. rule — government
  20. tube — a container
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — help
  24. march — the month

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