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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. race — a contest
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — a committee
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — a subject
  12. board — to get on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — army training
  16. race — humankind
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pound — to hit hard

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