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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wind — moving air
  7. track — a song
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rock — music
  10. race — humankind
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. game — a match
  13. race — a contest
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — a stone
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mate — a partner
  24. track — a path

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