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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — ground
  8. deal — to handle
  9. race — a contest
  10. content — the amount
  11. land — a country
  12. season — of the year
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — in sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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