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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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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: swing · content · root · rash · snap · present · net · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — there
  4. root — of a word
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. swing — music
  7. snap — to click
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — a series
  12. root — of a plant
  13. present — a gift
  14. rash — hasty
  15. content — the amount
  16. present — the time now
  17. race — humankind
  18. swing — in golf
  19. net — after costs
  20. root — the cause
  21. race — a contest
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. content — happy

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