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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: race · field · hide · hand · rush · ruler · net · date

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. race — humankind
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. race — the arms race
  12. hand — help
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — for catching
  15. race — a contest
  16. date — the fruit
  17. rush — hurry
  18. net — after costs
  19. field — farmland
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — for sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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