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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. root — the cause
  3. mate — a friend
  4. track — a path
  5. race — the arms race
  6. track — to keep track
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — to breed
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitch — completely
  15. race — humankind
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a song
  19. spring — the season
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — of water
  23. race — a contest
  24. stock — goods

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