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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cap — a hat
  3. key — for a lock
  4. shower — rain
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ball — a great time
  10. key — the most important part
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. key — in music
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. field — farmland
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — a subject

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