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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — the arms race
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. field — a subject
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. swing — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pop — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. capital — a city
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. capital — money
  21. pop — soda
  22. race — a contest
  23. pop — to visit
  24. hide — animal skin

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