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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 116 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: field · drill · mark · rule · race · mouse · chair · nail

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rule — government
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. race — a contest
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — humankind
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rule — a law

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