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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bound — tied together
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. race — the arms race
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — certain
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. field — farmland
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. race — humankind
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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