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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
468
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: track · game · race · hide · foot · season · mark · content

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. race — a contest
  5. foot — a measure
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. season — of the year
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. content — happy
  13. track — a path
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. hide — to keep secret

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