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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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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: bay · mate · sharp · rush · cap · race · track · fall

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. track — a path
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — hurry
  7. race — the arms race
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fall — the season
  20. race — a contest
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rush — to hurry

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