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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: game · mark · capital · fork · track · stick · race · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. track — a song
  3. game — a match
  4. mark — a trace
  5. track — a path
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spring — of water
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spring — the season
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — a contest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. track — to keep track

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