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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. race — the arms race
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — to come down
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. game — wild animals
  10. race — humankind
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. land — ground
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. race — a contest
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tube — a container
  23. land — a country
  24. game — a match

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