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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: field · bowl · suit · drill · mug · ground · wind · race

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mug — a cup
  6. suit — in cards
  7. ground — a position
  8. drill — army training
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — farmland
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — a contest
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. field — a subject
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — a face
  21. race — humankind
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bowl — a dish

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