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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rest — what's left
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pop — to visit
  6. race — humankind
  7. pop — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a path
  10. rest — a break
  11. last — finally
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pop — soda
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — final
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — the arms race
  20. club — a group
  21. last — to go on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — a contest

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