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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: rash · hand · pound · arm · safe · date · root · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — hasty
  5. root — of a word
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — help
  11. root — the cause
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — a series
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rule — a law
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. date — the fruit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. root — of a plant

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