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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mark — a trace
  3. drill — army training
  4. tube — the underground
  5. object — to protest
  6. race — humankind
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. race — a contest
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mark — a grade
  14. tube — a container
  15. object — a thing
  16. track — a song
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. race — the arms race
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. track — a path
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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