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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. track — a song
  12. band — a ring
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — to keep track
  16. roll — a cake
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — the fruit
  22. band — a music group
  23. race — humankind
  24. band — a rubber band

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