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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: roll · race · lash · game · rush · shower · tube · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. roll — a list
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. game — a match
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tube — a container
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — wild animals
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. race — humankind
  18. rule — government
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. roll — a cake
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. roll — on a roll

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