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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — to keep track
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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