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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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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 · pitcher · rest · cue · court · press · race · wind

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. root — of a word
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of law
  14. press — newspapers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — for sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. press — to push
  20. cue — for pool
  21. race — a contest
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rest — what's left

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