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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. race — humankind
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. prune — to trim
  7. last — finally
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. track — to keep track
  10. band — a music group
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a ring
  18. track — a song
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — final
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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