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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. field — farmland
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — a price
  10. race — a contest
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. race — the arms race
  15. file — a document
  16. charge — electricity
  17. race — humankind
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. charge — in control

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