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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: firm · field · cue · rock · race · game · trunk · season

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — for sport
  4. firm — steady
  5. rock — music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. firm — decided
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — farmland
  11. season — of the year
  12. game — a match
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cue — a signal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. game — wild animals
  17. field — a subject
  18. race — a contest
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. season — in sport
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. firm — a company

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