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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: bay · file · tear · bat · chair · root · stick · race

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. race — a contest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — of a word
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. race — humankind
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. race — the arms race
  21. root — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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