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

Word bank: stick · race · deal · foot · mark · mug · content · root

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. content — happy
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. root — the cause
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. deal — to handle
  11. race — a contest
  12. mug — to rob
  13. race — humankind
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — the amount
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. race — the arms race
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mark — a grade

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