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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. chair — a leader
  3. craft — boats
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — humankind
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — government
  10. tube — a container
  11. root — of a plant
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — of a word
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. craft — a skill
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. race — the arms race
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — a law
  23. root — the cause
  24. tube — the underground

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