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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. race — the arms race
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. field — farmland
  8. race — humankind
  9. fall — the season
  10. field — a subject
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a document
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. board — to get on
  20. race — a contest
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. field — for sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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