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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stem — to come from
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mug — a cup
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. track — a song
  11. mug — a face
  12. scale — in music
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. race — humankind
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mate — a friend
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — for weighing

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