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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: race · rush · pass · game · field · pitcher · pop · track

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — a song
  3. pass — a permit
  4. field — for sport
  5. game — a match
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. track — a path
  13. field — farmland
  14. pop — soda
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — the arms race
  17. track — to keep track
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rush — hurry
  22. race — a contest
  23. field — a subject
  24. pitcher — a jug

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