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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: mate · cue · track · clip · bat · race · ground · mark

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. race — a contest
  5. mate — a partner
  6. race — the arms race
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ground — a position
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — a video
  19. ground — the earth
  20. race — humankind
  21. track — a song
  22. clip — to cut
  23. track — a path
  24. cue — a signal

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