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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 124 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: field · safe · plane · fork · club · race

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. club — a group
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — for dancing
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — farmland
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. club — for golf
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. race — the arms race
  15. field — for sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fork — in a road
  18. race — humankind

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