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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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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: root · mine · hand · cue · staff · present · race · pitch

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. race — humankind
  5. hand — in cards
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hand — help
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — for pool
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. present — the time now
  17. race — a contest
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. present — there
  20. pitch — completely
  21. present — a gift
  22. staff — employees
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — a sports field

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