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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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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: game · present · season · march · track · race · pitcher · mine

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. march — the month
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. present — a gift
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. march — music
  14. season — of the year
  15. game — wild animals
  16. race — humankind
  17. game — a match
  18. track — a song
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. present — the time now
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. present — there
  24. pitcher — a jug

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