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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 120 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. race — the arms race
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. field — a subject
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a path
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. firm — steady
  11. track — a song
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — part of the head
  15. race — a contest
  16. squash — the sport
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — to crush
  19. kick — in football
  20. mate — a friend
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. firm — decided
  23. face — to confront
  24. field — farmland

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