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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — a contest
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. net — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. key — in music
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fall — the season
  18. key — the most important part
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — for catching
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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