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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · net · mine · mouse · fork · ground · firm · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. shower — rain
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — humankind
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. firm — a company
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — decided
  16. net — after costs
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. race — the arms race
  20. ground — a position
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. firm — steady
  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