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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — a contest
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. race — humankind
  10. track — a song
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. race — the arms race
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. track — a path
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. leaves — to go away

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