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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a song
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — a city
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pit — a hole
  18. race — humankind
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pit — in a race
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — money
  24. bear — the animal

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