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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. field — a subject
  4. bear — the animal
  5. land — to come down
  6. race — humankind
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. race — a contest
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — army training
  13. land — a country
  14. race — the arms race
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mate — to breed
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. land — ground
  20. object — an aim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. drill — the tool

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