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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — a contest
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. race — humankind
  13. game — a match
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pass — a permit
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — a line

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