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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · track · pit · tear · land · race

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — ground
  4. cell — in biology
  5. race — humankind
  6. track — a path
  7. land — a country
  8. track — a song
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pit — in a race
  13. tear — from crying
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. race — a contest

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