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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. race — a contest
  3. roll — a cake
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — all right
  6. swing — music
  7. track — a path
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. race — humankind
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. roll — a list
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  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