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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: kid · safe · track · date · last · root · bowl · row

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. root — of a plant
  4. row — to paddle
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. track — to keep track
  10. kid — child
  11. track — a song
  12. date — the fruit
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. last — final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. row — a line
  18. track — a path
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kid — to tease
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. last — finally
  24. date — on the calendar

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