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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. race — a contest
  3. content — happy
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spell — magic
  6. track — a path
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitch — completely
  12. track — a song
  13. spell — a short time
  14. content — the amount
  15. rest — a break
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — humankind
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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