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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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468
Word bank
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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. race — the arms race
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. race — a contest
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — humankind
  13. land — to come down
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — a song
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. land — ground
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. land — a country
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — to turn a key

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