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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. staff — employees
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — a subject
  10. charge — a price
  11. lie — to recline
  12. present — the time now
  13. race — the arms race
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. race — a contest
  19. charge — electricity
  20. race — humankind
  21. charge — in control
  22. present — there
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. squash — the vegetable

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