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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 116 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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Word bank
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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: fine · last · bear · march · saw · cap · race · track

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — to keep track
  3. last — final
  4. track — a path
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fine — high quality
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. cap — a lid
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. race — humankind
  24. bear — the animal

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