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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: pop · ground · game · can · race · fine · rest · net

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. can — a tin
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fine — high quality
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pop — soda
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. game — a match
  14. fine — all right
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — humankind
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. can — a tin
  24. race — a contest

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