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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · wound · race · ball · staff · rest · mark · pitcher

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a grade
  9. race — humankind
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a dance
  12. root — of a word
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. root — the cause
  17. rest — a break
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — a contest
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — the arms race
  24. staff — a stick

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