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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. clip — a video
  8. craft — boats
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ball — a great time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — a skill
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bank — for money
  24. race — the arms race

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