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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 120 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: pitcher · tear · mate · pass · race · field · root · vault

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a word
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pass — a permit
  15. vault — a safe
  16. race — a contest
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. race — humankind
  19. field — for sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. root — the cause

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