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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. track — a song
  2. chip — to eat
  3. field — for sport
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. race — humankind
  7. track — to keep track
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. field — farmland
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. race — a contest
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — a subject
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — a path
  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