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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — humankind
  8. land — to come down
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pass — a permit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — ground
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — a country
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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