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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 116 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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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: pit · fine · bay · track · land · row · race · root

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — the arms race
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. land — ground
  8. race — humankind
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pit — in a race
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a path
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fine — all right
  19. pit — a hole
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. track — a song
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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