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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: leaves · track · race · file · bowl · dip · bound · kid

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. race — humankind
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kid — child
  9. bound — certain
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. track — a song
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — a contest
  19. kid — to tease
  20. file — a document
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. file — a tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bowl — to roll

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