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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. firm — steady
  3. row — to paddle
  4. race — a contest
  5. press — a publisher
  6. race — humankind
  7. content — happy
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. content — the amount
  12. race — the arms race
  13. tube — a container
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. row — a line
  18. tube — the underground
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pound — a weight
  24. press — to push

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