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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — a city
  3. club — for golf
  4. race — humankind
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — size or range
  7. capital — money
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. board — to get on
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bass — the fish
  18. race — a contest
  19. board — a committee
  20. club — a group
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. club — for dancing

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