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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: rush · game · race · pop · mine · mark · row · pitch

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — hurry
  4. race — a contest
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pop — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pop — soda
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — humankind
  16. mark — a trace
  17. row — a line
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. race — the arms race
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mark — a grade

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