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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. swing — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — for sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. field — farmland
  12. race — a contest
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. drill — army training
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — a position
  19. race — the arms race
  20. swing — to play on
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. drill — a practice
  24. track — a song

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