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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · hide · fan · game · race · mine · pitch · bass

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. race — humankind
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rule — a law
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. race — the arms race
  9. game — a match
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bass — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rule — government
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bass — low music
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mine — an explosive

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