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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. field — for sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. board — to get on
  7. mug — a cup
  8. swing — to play on
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — army training
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — farmland
  14. mug — a face
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. field — a subject
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. board — a committee
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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