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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: cap · firm · press · roll · chest · field · safe · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. press — a publisher
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. press — to push
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. chest — of your body
  14. race — humankind
  15. cap — a hat
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chest — a box
  20. firm — steady
  21. press — newspapers
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. race — a contest

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