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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: bat · race · track · mate · last · game · present · mark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — final
  3. present — the time now
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. last — to go on
  10. race — humankind
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — a grade
  14. last — finally
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mate — to breed
  17. present — a gift
  18. mark — a trace
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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