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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — the sport
  3. race — the arms race
  4. club — a group
  5. race — humankind
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — for catching
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bass — low music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — in sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the fish
  23. club — for golf
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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