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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: cell · pitcher · race · chip · rash · field · bound · wake

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bound — certain
  14. race — humankind
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bound — tied together
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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