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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: lash · mate · ruler · field · fork · toast · ground · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. field — a subject
  9. toast — bread
  10. field — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mate — to breed
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. race — humankind
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. field — farmland
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ground — a position
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. race — the arms race

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