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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. net — for catching
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. root — the cause
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. root — of a word
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. suit — clothes
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. field — a subject
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. root — of a plant
  23. net — after costs
  24. suit — in cards

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