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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. field — farmland
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. field — for sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. field — a subject
  9. lean — to bend
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — clever
  12. object — to protest
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. object — a thing
  15. race — a contest
  16. object — an aim
  17. lean — thin
  18. drill — army training
  19. race — humankind
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. sharp — with an edge

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