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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. band — a music group
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for golf
  10. kid — to tease
  11. suit — clothes
  12. root — the cause
  13. race — a contest
  14. cold — not warm
  15. club — a group
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kid — child
  18. suit — in cards
  19. root — of a word
  20. cold — an illness
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. fan — a supporter

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