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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. race — humankind
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. vault — a safe
  10. hand — in cards
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. race — a contest
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rush — hurry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hand — help
  20. track — a song
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — part of the body

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