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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: mug · race · cap · straw · current · land · field · foot

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. field — a subject
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. race — the arms race
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — of water
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. current — happening now
  14. land — ground
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — a hat
  18. foot — a measure
  19. land — a country
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — for sport
  22. race — humankind
  23. current — electric
  24. mug — a face

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