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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 120 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: field · court · race · stick · rule · bay · bound · root

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rule — a law
  4. bound — obliged
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. race — humankind
  10. field — farmland
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bound — certain
  14. root — the cause
  15. court — of law
  16. rule — government
  17. root — of a word
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — a contest
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bay — a horse colour

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