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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: race · straw · stand · pass · field · safe

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. field — a subject
  5. race — humankind
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. field — for sport
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stand — to bear
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. race — a contest
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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