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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 120 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: rest · sharp · swing · race · bore · chip · march · root

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. race — humankind
  3. rest — a break
  4. bore — to tire
  5. root — the cause
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rest — what's left
  12. swing — to play on
  13. chip — to eat
  14. race — a contest
  15. bore — to drill
  16. swing — music
  17. race — the arms race
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. root — of a word
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. swing — in golf

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