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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. root — of a word
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. rest — a break
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — a series
  13. rule — a law
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rule — government
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rest — what's left
  19. race — the arms race
  20. root — the cause
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mate — to breed
  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