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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. track — a song
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — the tool
  10. race — humankind
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. race — a contest
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. drill — a practice
  20. date — the fruit
  21. track — a path
  22. race — the arms race
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. trunk — of a tree

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