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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: track · race · jam · ground · kick · fall · bowl · march

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fall — the season
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kick — in football
  7. fall — to drop
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — a path
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. race — a contest
  17. ground — a position
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. march — music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bowl — a dish

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