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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. race — a contest
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. degree — temperature
  6. race — the arms race
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ground — crushed
  10. charge — electricity
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ground — the earth
  13. club — a group
  14. race — humankind
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. field — farmland
  20. club — for dancing
  21. field — a subject
  22. charge — a price
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lean — to bend

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