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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — the arms race
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. fine — all right
  9. pound — a weight
  10. race — a contest
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. key — for a lock
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — the most important part
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — completely
  21. field — farmland
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pound — to hit hard

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