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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: bore · rash · root · bowl · race · court · current · snap

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. race — a contest
  8. court — of a king
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bore — to drill
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — hasty
  13. court — for sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. court — of law
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — of a plant
  20. current — electric
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. race — humankind
  24. current — of water

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