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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · mate · present · root · last · rush · race · pop

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pop — music
  3. present — a gift
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — finally
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — a friend
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. court — for sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. root — of a plant
  16. present — there
  17. pop — soda
  18. mate — to breed
  19. last — to go on
  20. rush — hurry
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. last — final
  24. present — the time now

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