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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 120 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: ruler · staff · race · cap · rash · cabinet · club · field

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. staff — employees
  3. cap — a lid
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. staff — a stick
  10. race — a contest
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — a subject
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. race — humankind
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rash — hasty
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rash — a series

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