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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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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: stand · fine · field · track · race · shower · rest · straw

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. stand — to bear
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — for sport
  8. race — a contest
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fine — high quality
  13. track — a song
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. race — humankind
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fine — all right

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