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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pit — a hole
  6. track — a path
  7. spell — letters
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. race — the arms race
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mark — a grade
  22. race — humankind
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — magic

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