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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: pitch · race · root · bore · track · ball · face · tear

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to point toward
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — part of the head
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitch — completely
  18. track — a path
  19. root — of a word
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. race — humankind
  24. face — to confront

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