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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · root · race · mine · mate · fork

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. root — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. rule — a law
  8. root — the cause
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. race — humankind
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rule — government
  18. mate — a friend

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