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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a music group
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. net — for catching
  7. mine — for digging
  8. band — a ring
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. race — the arms race
  11. net — in sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — a country
  19. key — the most important part
  20. race — a contest
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. land — ground
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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