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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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 song
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. game — a match
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. track — a path
  12. race — humankind
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pass — a permit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. race — a contest
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  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