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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. race — a contest
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. can — a tin
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. stand — to bear
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — a tin
  13. bound — certain
  14. field — for sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. root — the cause
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. can — to be able to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — humankind
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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