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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — a thing
  4. track — a song
  5. ball — a great time
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. race — the arms race
  8. branch — a division
  9. track — to keep track
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. race — humankind
  13. last — to go on
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. last — finally
  16. current — happening now
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. object — an aim
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — final
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. current — of water
  24. track — a path

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