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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — a trail
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. club — a group
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — a contest
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. race — humankind
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. field — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. content — the amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. club — for golf

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