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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. court — of law
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. season — in sport
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. track — to keep track
  8. race — humankind
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — of the year
  12. track — a song
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. court — for sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — the arms race
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. can — a tin
  20. race — a contest
  21. hand — in cards
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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