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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. foot — a measure
  3. race — humankind
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. field — for sport
  6. key — in music
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. key — for a lock
  9. race — the arms race
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — to grow
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. field — a subject
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — farmland
  24. wax — for sculpting

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