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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — an illness
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. chip — for betting
  9. race — humankind
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — of water
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fine — all right
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spring — the season

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