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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in biology
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. track — a path
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. last — final

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