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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: track · board · season · wound · bass · race · jam · bound

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. race — humankind
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. board — to get on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. board — a committee
  14. wound — an injury
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bass — low music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — obliged
  22. race — the arms race
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. track — a path

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