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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. race — a contest
  3. mug — a cup
  4. track — to keep track
  5. root — the cause
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mug — to rob
  9. track — a path
  10. root — of a word
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — humankind
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — of the year
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a document
  18. track — a song
  19. season — in sport
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mug — a face
  22. spell — letters
  23. file — a tool
  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