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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rule — government
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — a law
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. race — a contest
  19. fall — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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