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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bore — to tire
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. dip — to sink
  8. file — a tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bore — to drill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. field — for sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. spell — magic
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — a measure

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