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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: race · wake · cap · stick · foot · mouse · field · temple

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — a trail
  5. field — for sport
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. race — humankind
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cap — a hat
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. race — a contest
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. temple — a place of worship

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