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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: can · object · race · field · safe · last · ground · craft

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. last — final
  6. race — a contest
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. last — finally
  11. object — a thing
  12. field — farmland
  13. last — to go on
  14. field — a subject
  15. can — to be able to
  16. race — the arms race
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. object — to protest
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — for sport
  24. race — humankind

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