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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — obliged
  6. race — humankind
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. race — the arms race
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bound — certain
  15. swing — music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. swing — in golf
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — a trail
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. net — for catching
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bound — tied together

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