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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. field — farmland
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. race — a contest
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — humankind
  8. last — finally
  9. track — to keep track
  10. firm — steady
  11. track — a song
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — to rob
  17. firm — a company
  18. last — final
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rush — hurry
  21. track — a path
  22. mug — a face
  23. firm — decided
  24. race — the arms race

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