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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — a country
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. land — to come down
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — humankind
  9. mark — a grade
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pop — soda
  14. band — a music group
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pop — music
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. race — a contest
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — ground
  23. pop — to visit
  24. object — an aim

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