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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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. race — a contest
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. root — the cause
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mug — a face
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mug — a cup
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mate — to breed
  13. land — a country
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. land — to come down
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. race — humankind
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — ground
  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