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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — humankind
  4. sharp — clever
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — a contest
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — a path
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — after costs
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — in sport
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. object — an aim
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — to protest
  24. track — a song

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