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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. board — a committee
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. race — humankind
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — in a road
  9. drill — the tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. foot — a measure
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — army training
  24. board — to get on

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