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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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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: stick · race · ruler · kid · fan · firm · field · cell

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. race — humankind
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. field — farmland
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — in biology
  10. race — a contest
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. firm — steady
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. kid — child
  20. field — for sport
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cell — a phone
  23. field — a subject
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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