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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. root — the cause
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. race — humankind
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — of a word
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. swing — to play on
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. rush — hurry

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