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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. race — a contest
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — a subject
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. field — for sport
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ball — a dance
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. ground — the earth
  21. race — humankind
  22. field — farmland
  23. ground — crushed
  24. jam — a tight spot

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