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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kid — child
  4. root — the cause
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — humankind
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — a contest
  16. mate — a partner
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bank — of a river
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. root — of a word
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mark — a grade

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