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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 · last · bay · cue · file · vault · race · foot

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. file — a document
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. race — the arms race
  9. file — a tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. last — final
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. last — to go on
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. race — a contest
  20. file — a line of people
  21. root — of a plant
  22. vault — a safe
  23. root — the cause
  24. race — humankind

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