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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. root — of a word
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. race — a contest
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — child
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — to keep track
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. race — the arms race
  21. root — of a plant
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. race — humankind
  24. ruler — for measuring

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