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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: safe · bat · game · deal · root · race · bound · fine

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fine — high quality
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — tied together
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. root — of a word
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. bat — the animal
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — a match
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. race — a contest
  24. bound — obliged

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