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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — in music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — to bear
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. key — for a lock
  13. field — farmland
  14. key — the most important part
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — for sport
  24. staff — a stick

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