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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. race — humankind
  3. field — a subject
  4. fork — in a road
  5. object — to protest
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wake — a trail
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stand — to bear
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — farmland
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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