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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — ground
  3. fall — to drop
  4. toast — bread
  5. race — a contest
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. root — the cause
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. rock — music
  12. pop — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. root — of a plant
  15. land — a country
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pop — soda
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. land — to come down
  22. rock — a stone
  23. root — of a word
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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