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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. race — humankind
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — for sport
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wax — to grow
  9. squash — to crush
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pit — in a race
  14. field — a subject
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. field — farmland
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. squash — the sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — of a tree

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