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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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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: game · swing · object · root · rash · present · race · shower

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. swing — to play on
  8. root — of a word
  9. race — a contest
  10. game — a match
  11. present — there
  12. rash — a series
  13. present — the time now
  14. root — the cause
  15. game — wild animals
  16. object — to protest
  17. rash — hasty
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. swing — music
  23. race — humankind
  24. present — a gift

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