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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. net — in sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — for sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. net — for catching
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. present — there
  10. net — after costs
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. race — humankind
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stand — to bear
  20. field — farmland
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. field — a subject
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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