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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — to keep track
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. race — the arms race
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wound — an injury
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a path
  14. roll — a list
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. can — a tin
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. track — a song
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — a video
  24. can — a tin

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