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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: land · rule · root · fan · race · game · track · jam

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. game — wild animals
  3. land — a country
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. race — humankind
  6. land — ground
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. root — of a word
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. race — the arms race
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. track — a song
  16. root — the cause
  17. race — a contest
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rule — government

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