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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. field — farmland
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — a series
  5. press — to push
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ground — a position
  8. rash — hasty
  9. race — the arms race
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cue — a signal
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. field — a subject
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cap — of ice
  17. race — humankind
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. press — newspapers

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