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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pop — music
  3. race — a contest
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — child
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — to tease
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. track — to keep track
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — electric
  14. pop — soda
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — a song
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. shower — to wash
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. race — the arms race
  24. shower — rain

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