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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. track — a path
  3. race — a contest
  4. stand — to bear
  5. race — humankind
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pop — to visit
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — music
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — a song
  17. row — to paddle
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — soda
  22. row — a line
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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