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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. race — the arms race
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pound — a weight
  6. race — humankind
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cold — an illness
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a face
  20. race — a contest
  21. field — farmland
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pound — to hit hard

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