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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: roll · rash · field · march · bear · chip · race · object

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. roll — a list
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. object — to protest
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — a subject
  9. rash — hasty
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. bear — the animal
  15. object — an aim
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. object — a thing
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. march — the month
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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