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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. can — a tin
  3. race — a contest
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — help
  7. race — humankind
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pound — a weight
  10. race — the arms race
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — a trail
  19. track — a path
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. leaves — lets stay

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