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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. club — for golf
  3. march — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. track — a path
  8. current — of water
  9. march — the month
  10. race — a contest
  11. club — a group
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. firm — decided
  14. club — for dancing
  15. current — happening now
  16. fork — in a road
  17. march — the month
  18. field — farmland
  19. firm — steady
  20. race — humankind
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. current — electric
  24. firm — a company

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