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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 120 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: mug · season · race · track · bore · spell · march · board

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mug — to rob
  4. board — a committee
  5. mug — a face
  6. track — a song
  7. board — to get on
  8. track — a path
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. march — music
  16. bore — to tire
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — humankind
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bore — to drill
  24. race — a contest

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