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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — the fish
  3. race — humankind
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. root — the cause
  10. rule — a law
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. shower — rain
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. race — the arms race
  20. root — of a word
  21. rule — government
  22. race — a contest
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — the animal

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