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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: race · mine · cell · rule · mark · toast · root · chair

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. root — the cause
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. root — of a word
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rule — a law
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. race — humankind
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mark — a trace
  22. toast — bread
  23. race — a contest
  24. root — of a plant

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