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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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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. club — for golf
  3. race — humankind
  4. club — a group
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. race — a contest
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. tube — a container
  13. wake — a trail
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pit — in a race
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. track — a song
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pit — a hole

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