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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · game · race · jam · pass · bound · track · spring

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — a coil
  3. race — humankind
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bound — tied together
  9. track — a song
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — the season
  13. track — a path
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pass — a permit
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — of water
  24. game — a match

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