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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: field · land · band · foot · fork · suit · race · ruler

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. race — humankind
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. suit — clothes
  6. band — a ring
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. band — a music group
  9. field — a subject
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — a country
  14. foot — a measure
  15. land — ground
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — to come down
  18. field — for sport
  19. suit — to fit
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. race — a contest
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. field — farmland

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