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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — humankind
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. game — a match
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. dip — to sink
  15. march — music
  16. court — of law
  17. net — in sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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