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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 · chest · race · safe · snap · pass · board · key

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. race — a contest
  4. key — for a lock
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. key — in music
  9. board — a committee
  10. field — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. board — to get on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to click
  17. race — humankind
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — a subject
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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