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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — farmland
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. race — humankind
  11. spring — a coil
  12. field — a subject
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pit — in a race
  15. can — a tin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. row — to paddle
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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