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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — of ice
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — the season
  5. firm — a company
  6. last — finally
  7. race — humankind
  8. firm — decided
  9. race — a contest
  10. firm — steady
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — final
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. track — a path
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fall — to drop
  24. last — to go on

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