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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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. suit — to fit
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — after costs
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. clip — for paper
  14. game — a match
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. net — in sport
  17. clip — to cut
  18. race — the arms race
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — for catching
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. suit — clothes

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