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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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Word bank
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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 · race · rule · fine · content · pop · rash · wake

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. field — farmland
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rule — a law
  10. rash — a series
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pop — soda
  14. rule — government
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pop — music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. race — humankind
  19. pop — to visit
  20. content — happy
  21. fine — all right
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wake — a trail

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