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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. race — humankind
  3. toast — bread
  4. field — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. field — farmland
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rest — a break
  9. race — a contest
  10. file — a tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. file — a document
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rest — what's left
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rest — what's left
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. suit — to fit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. foot — a measure
  24. field — a subject

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