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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. race — humankind
  4. spell — letters
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. race — a contest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — a short time
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — magic
  22. net — after costs
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. field — for sport

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