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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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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: ball · present · safe · root · race · cold · rock · craft

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. present — the time now
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ball — a great time
  7. race — a contest
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — a stone
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. present — a gift
  15. race — humankind
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. present — there
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rock — music
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. root — the cause

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