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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. field — farmland
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bound — tied together
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — a contest
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bound — certain
  13. race — the arms race
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — a subject
  17. content — the amount
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. field — for sport
  24. content — happy

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