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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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Word bank
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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: mug · root · bat · race · cabinet · rule · can · jam

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. race — a contest
  3. mug — a face
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. root — the cause
  18. rule — government
  19. mug — to rob
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rule — a law
  24. root — of a word

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