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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. field — farmland
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — for sport
  11. wake — a trail
  12. race — humankind
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — a contest
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. row — a line
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. field — a subject

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