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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. race — humankind
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — army training
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wound — an injury
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — the tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — low music
  21. race — a contest
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mark — a trace

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