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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · rest · rule · bear · race · safe

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. game — a match
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — the arms race
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rule — a law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out

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