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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. race — a contest
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. key — in music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. swing — music
  13. race — humankind
  14. field — farmland
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — to wash
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. shower — rain

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