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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pit · degree · lean · can · wound · track · last · race

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. can — to be able to
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. degree — an amount
  7. last — finally
  8. track — to keep track
  9. last — final
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — thin
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — an injury
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pit — a hole
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pit — in a race
  20. race — a contest
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. race — the arms race
  23. can — a tin
  24. lean — to bend

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