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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. track — a path
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a song
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitch — completely
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. march — music

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