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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: race · board · season · march · root · calf · rule · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — in sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. root — the cause
  7. rule — government
  8. march — the month
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — to handle
  13. board — to get on
  14. march — the month
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — a law
  23. race — humankind
  24. deal — an agreement

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