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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: root · rash · arm · squash · pit · fall · season · race

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — in sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — of a word
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rash — a series
  12. fall — to drop
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. squash — to crush
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. race — a contest
  20. pit — in a race
  21. race — humankind
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. root — the cause

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