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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — humankind
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bank — of a river
  7. game — wild animals
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — a position
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bank — for money
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bank — for money
  17. craft — boats
  18. ground — the earth
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — a match
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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