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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — in music
  6. track — a song
  7. race — a contest
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — a path
  12. race — humankind
  13. spell — letters
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spell — magic

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