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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — government
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. rule — a law
  16. fork — in a road
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. race — a contest
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — a subject

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