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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. race — the arms race
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. game — a match
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. land — to come down
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — an injury
  22. land — a country
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — humankind

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