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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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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: date · present · ground · track · bay · mark · race · cold

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. present — there
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — a gift
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — the arms race
  14. track — a song
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — a path
  17. present — the time now
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. race — humankind
  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