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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — a contest
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. dip — to sink
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. track — a path
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. squash — to crush
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — the arms race
  23. track — a song
  24. branch — a division

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