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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chest — a box
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — to rob
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mug — a face
  17. race — humankind
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. race — the arms race
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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