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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: snap · rash · cabinet · dip · band · sharp · race · ruler

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. race — the arms race
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — clever
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. race — humankind
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. band — a ring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to click
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — a contest
  24. dip — to sink

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