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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 124 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — a subject
  4. fine — high quality
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — all right
  9. race — humankind
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — the arms race
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — a stick
  18. object — a thing
  19. pit — a hole
  20. march — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. march — the month
  23. staff — employees
  24. club — a group

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