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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. race — a contest
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. key — in music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. game — a match
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wake — a trail
  16. track — a song
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. track — a path
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — for a lock

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