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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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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: date · rest · track · board · race · row · bore · wound

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. board — to get on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — humankind
  7. track — a song
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. row — to paddle
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rest — a break
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. board — a committee
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. bore — to tire

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