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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — to sink
  4. field — a subject
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — humankind
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. row — a line
  11. race — a contest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. field — farmland
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — the time now
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. present — a gift
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. present — there
  24. field — for sport

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