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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. root — of a word
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. root — the cause
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — thin
  12. race — humankind
  13. root — of a plant
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — a position
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. band — a music group
  22. current — of water
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a ring

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