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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. staff — employees
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. staff — a stick
  7. vault — a safe
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — a short time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. land — to come down
  13. race — humankind
  14. field — a subject
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. race — a contest
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — ground
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — a country
  21. spell — letters
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. staff — employees
  24. tear — to rip

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