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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. race — humankind
  3. field — farmland
  4. craft — boats
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. race — a contest
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. field — a subject
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — a container
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rash — a series
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chest — of your body
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — in a road

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