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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — a contest
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. can — a tin
  7. mark — a trace
  8. can — to be able to
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — low music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — a grade
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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