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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — for sport
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pop — to visit
  8. race — humankind
  9. field — a subject
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — to bear
  15. race — the arms race
  16. pop — soda
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pop — music
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rush — hurry
  22. field — farmland
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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