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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — the month
  7. game — a match
  8. hand — in cards
  9. march — music
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. charge — a price
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. season — of the year
  21. race — humankind
  22. hand — help
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. charge — electricity

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