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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — a contest
  5. mate — a friend
  6. race — humankind
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — a series
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mug — a cup
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mate — a partner
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. track — a path

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