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

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. race — humankind
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. sharp — clever
  8. race — a contest
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. track — to keep track
  11. race — the arms race
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stand — to bear
  17. date — the fruit
  18. sharp — with an edge

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