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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. file — a tool
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ground — the earth
  12. race — a contest
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. race — humankind
  15. bass — the fish
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — low music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fine — all right
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. file — a document

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