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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: root · foot · toast · saw · race · mate · face · rule

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. toast — bread
  3. foot — a measure
  4. race — the arms race
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rule — a law
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. face — to confront
  15. mate — to breed
  16. race — a contest
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. face — part of the head
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rule — government
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. race — humankind
  24. foot — part of the body

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