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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. row — a line
  3. track — a path
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — to keep track
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — a country
  8. rule — government
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. row — to paddle
  16. race — a contest
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rule — a law
  20. mine — for digging
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a song
  24. rule — to rule out

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