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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. race — a contest
  3. object — an aim
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. clip — to cut
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fine — all right
  10. race — humankind
  11. game — wild animals
  12. object — a thing
  13. suit — to fit
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — for paper
  16. game — a match
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fine — high quality
  19. clip — a video
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — in cards
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. ground — the earth

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