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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. race — the arms race
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — a match
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bound — tied together
  13. track — a song
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. root — of a plant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — to keep track
  20. root — the cause
  21. race — a contest
  22. bound — obliged
  23. race — humankind
  24. root — of a word

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