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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. charge — electricity
  5. drill — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. charge — a price
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — farmland
  10. last — finally
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — a subject
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. last — final
  19. race — humankind
  20. charge — in control
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. last — to go on
  24. drill — army training

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