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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 120 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 · mine · nail · saw · pound · pit · field · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. field — for sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mug — a cup
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — farmland
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. race — humankind
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. race — a contest
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mug — a face
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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