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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.

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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: race · bound · season · bay · track · ground · game · root

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. track — to keep track
  3. season — of the year
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. track — a song
  7. root — of a word
  8. race — a contest
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ground — a position
  14. root — the cause
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — in sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ground — the earth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ground — crushed
  23. root — of a plant
  24. track — a path

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