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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — for a lock
  5. current — happening now
  6. cue — for pool
  7. current — electric
  8. race — a contest
  9. field — farmland
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cue — a hint
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bound — certain
  17. field — a subject
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. race — humankind
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. current — of water
  24. bound — obliged

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