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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: rule · mate · root · toast · foot · bass · race · stock

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rule — a law
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rule — government
  12. bass — low music
  13. root — the cause
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mate — to breed
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. toast — bread
  22. root — of a plant
  23. race — the arms race
  24. root — of a word

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