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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — a series
  6. race — humankind
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — to keep track
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — tied together
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. race — a contest
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — hasty
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — a path
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. field — farmland
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. field — for sport

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