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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: race · pitcher · deal · press · mate · row · root · content

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. race — the arms race
  4. root — of a word
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. race — humankind
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. root — of a plant
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — happy
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. mate — a friend
  18. deal — to handle
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — to paddle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. race — a contest
  24. row — a line

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