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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — a trace
  9. key — in music
  10. spell — magic
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. band — a ring
  13. track — a path
  14. race — humankind
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. race — a contest
  19. band — a music group
  20. track — a song
  21. mark — a grade
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stem — to come from
  24. race — the arms race

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