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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — clever
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. object — to protest
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. race — humankind
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wind — moving air
  12. object — an aim
  13. race — a contest
  14. spring — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. object — a thing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — a weight
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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