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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — to wash
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a document
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. race — the arms race
  12. file — a tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. file — a line of people
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — farmland
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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