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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. present — a gift
  3. field — for sport
  4. present — the time now
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — a subject
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tear — from crying
  12. suit — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hand — in cards
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hand — help
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — there
  21. suit — to fit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. race — a contest
  24. tear — to rip

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