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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bound — tied together
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. root — the cause
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bound — certain
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cold — an illness

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