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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: fall · firm · race · snap · net · bore · field · rash

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. race — a contest
  3. field — a subject
  4. fall — the season
  5. rash — a series
  6. bore — to tire
  7. firm — decided
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — for catching
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — farmland
  12. bore — to drill
  13. net — after costs
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. race — humankind
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rash — hasty
  19. firm — steady
  20. snap — to click
  21. firm — a company
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. field — for sport
  24. net — in sport

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