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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — low music
  8. race — humankind
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. chair — a leader
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. race — the arms race
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. net — for catching
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. net — in sport

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