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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — to keep track
  3. race — a contest
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — to be able to
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a path
  10. fall — to drop
  11. face — to point toward
  12. track — a song
  13. last — to go on
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. race — humankind
  18. face — to confront
  19. can — a tin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — final
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — to hurry

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