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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. race — the arms race
  4. track — to keep track
  5. race — humankind
  6. net — after costs
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. race — a contest
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. track — a song
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mug — a face
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mug — a cup

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