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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. club — a group
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. race — the arms race
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pop — soda
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. race — humankind
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. track — a song
  24. club — for golf

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