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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. track — a path
  3. race — humankind
  4. present — the time now
  5. pop — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — to breed
  8. present — there
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pop — to visit
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — a gift
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pop — soda
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — a contest

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