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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. race — a contest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — humankind
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — soda
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. track — a song
  20. pop — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tear — from crying

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