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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. track — to keep track
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — rain
  8. track — a song
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — a path
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. race — humankind
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. field — a subject
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. shower — to wash
  17. field — farmland
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. field — for sport
  21. capital — money
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. capital — a city
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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