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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a friend
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mate — to breed
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. track — a song
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — humankind
  13. fine — all right
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cap — a hat
  19. race — a contest
  20. cap — a lid
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. mark — a grade
  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