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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mark — a trace
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. race — a contest
  10. track — a song
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stock — goods
  13. track — to keep track
  14. shower — rain
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. race — humankind
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stock — shares

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