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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: fall · race · row · rash · cabinet · capital · root · bat

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — a series
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. row — to paddle
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. row — a line
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — money
  20. race — humankind
  21. root — the cause
  22. bat — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  24. bat — in an idiom

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