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

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ground — a position
  10. race — a contest
  11. root — the cause
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. mate — a partner
  18. root — of a word
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — a division
  21. race — humankind
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitch — completely
  24. safe — out of danger

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