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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pop — to visit
  3. race — the arms race
  4. field — a subject
  5. fall — the season
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. race — humankind
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. field — for sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — a contest
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. field — farmland
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — soda
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — to lash out

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