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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: band · race · ball · squash · tear · pitch · root · craft

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — boats
  8. root — of a plant
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. root — of a word
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. band — a ring
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. band — a music group

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