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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — completely
  4. race — humankind
  5. bound — obliged
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. band — a music group
  8. race — a contest
  9. root — the cause
  10. mate — a friend
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. race — the arms race
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a ring
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. mate — to breed
  24. roll — a list

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