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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: race · game · track · wake · ball · last · lash · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a dance
  7. track — a path
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mark — a grade
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. last — finally
  12. race — the arms race
  13. last — final
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. track — a song
  19. last — to go on
  20. wake — a trail
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — a kind of play

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