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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: safe · rash · trunk · field · race · hide · key · present

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. field — farmland
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. key — for a lock
  9. race — humankind
  10. field — for sport
  11. race — a contest
  12. key — in music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. present — the time now
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — a gift
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. present — there
  23. field — a subject
  24. key — the most important part

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