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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: pit · net · pass · row · vault · game · fan · race

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pit — a hole
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pit — in a race
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — humankind
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. net — after costs
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — a line
  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