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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — music
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. race — the arms race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a song
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. race — humankind
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. tube — a container
  19. rock — a stone
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. race — a contest
  24. tube — the underground

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