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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. race — the arms race
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. race — humankind
  9. wax — to grow
  10. field — farmland
  11. bore — to tire
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — final
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. last — finally
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. field — for sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. staff — a stick
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — a contest

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