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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — all right
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — to recline
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. field — farmland
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. root — the cause
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — to bear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cell — in biology
  24. field — for sport

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