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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chair — a leader
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — a subject
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — the arms race
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — farmland
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. race — a contest
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. chair — to sit 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