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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · race · pop · deal · tear · field

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. 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. pop — music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — farmland
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. field — a subject
  17. pop — soda
  18. 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