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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rule — a law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. dip — to sink
  5. race — the arms race
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. board — to get on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rule — government
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. board — a committee
  14. root — the cause
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. content — happy
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. degree — temperature
  19. content — the amount
  20. root — of a plant
  21. degree — from a university
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. root — of a word
  24. race — humankind

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