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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: date · game · fall · root · key · race · straw · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fall — the season
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. key — the most important part
  12. race — the arms race
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — a partner
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. key — in music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — a contest
  19. game — a match
  20. root — of a plant
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mate — a friend
  24. key — for a lock

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