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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. race — humankind
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spring — the season
  8. track — a path
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — for golf
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rash — hasty
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. club — for dancing
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — to grow
  24. race — a contest

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