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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — soda
  3. board — a committee
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. march — music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pop — to visit
  13. race — humankind
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pop — music
  17. track — a song
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — to trim
  20. board — to get on
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. track — a path
  24. board — a flat piece

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