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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · cell · present · tube · hand · field · season · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. field — a subject
  3. present — there
  4. lie — to recline
  5. present — the time now
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. tube — the underground
  14. present — a gift
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. race — a contest
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — help
  21. field — farmland
  22. race — humankind
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — in a tire

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