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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 116 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: race · track · mug · wind · stock · content · cap · lie

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lie — to recline
  3. content — the amount
  4. track — to keep track
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — a path
  9. race — a contest
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — humankind
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — a song
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. content — happy
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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