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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — farmland
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. race — humankind
  14. rash — hasty
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rock — music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. field — a subject
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. race — a contest

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