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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. race — humankind
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pass — a permit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lean — to bend
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. scale — in music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. track — a path
  21. wind — moving air
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. race — a contest
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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