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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — a contest
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — humankind
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. shower — rain
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chip — to eat
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bound — certain
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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