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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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468
Word bank
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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. race — a contest
  4. game — a match
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. root — the cause
  8. land — a country
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. game — wild animals
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mine — for digging
  16. land — ground
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. land — to come down
  19. track — a path
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — humankind
  23. track — a song
  24. root — of a word

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