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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rush — hurry
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — ground
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. deal — to handle
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. snap — to click
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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