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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: nail · hide · race · fine · charge · firm · hand · field

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. firm — decided
  4. fine — high quality
  5. field — for sport
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. firm — steady
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — all right
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. race — humankind
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — a company
  15. hand — help
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. field — a subject
  18. charge — in control
  19. field — farmland
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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