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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. ground — crushed
  8. race — a contest
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. track — a path
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ground — a position
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rock — music
  16. track — a song
  17. mate — to breed
  18. race — humankind
  19. last — final
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pass — to spend time

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