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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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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: mark · bay · club · plane · field · key · mug · race

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mug — a face
  3. race — humankind
  4. key — in music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mark — a grade
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. race — a contest
  14. key — the most important part
  15. field — for sport
  16. race — the arms race
  17. club — a group
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. plane — a tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. plane — in geometry

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