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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — goods
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. race — the arms race
  12. track — a song
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fine — all right
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — a path
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ball — a great time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. last — finally
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a dance

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