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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. game — a match
  3. race — the arms race
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — to breed
  6. field — a subject
  7. mate — a friend
  8. game — wild animals
  9. can — a tin
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. race — a contest
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. race — humankind
  19. field — farmland
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mate — a partner
  24. can — a tin

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