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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: bass · field · capital · race · jam · pit · racket · game

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. field — for sport
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. race — the arms race
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. field — farmland
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bass — low music
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — a city
  18. field — a subject
  19. capital — money
  20. game — wild animals
  21. race — humankind
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bass — the instrument

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