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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: ground · key · track · field · race · wind · calf · rock

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. field — farmland
  4. ground — the earth
  5. race — humankind
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. track — a path
  9. key — the most important part
  10. field — for sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a song
  14. rock — a stone
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — in music
  17. field — a subject
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. track — to keep track
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rock — music
  22. ground — a position
  23. wind — moving air
  24. race — a contest

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