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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: root · season · ruler · cold · racket · board · face · race

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. board — to get on
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. face — part of the head
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. face — to confront
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. root — of a plant
  9. race — the arms race
  10. season — in sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cold — not warm
  14. race — a contest
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. root — the cause
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. race — humankind
  23. cold — an illness
  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