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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: pit · nail · race · foot · cap · sharp · game · net

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. net — for catching
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — after costs
  5. race — humankind
  6. cap — of ice
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. foot — a measure
  11. race — the arms race
  12. game — a match
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. game — wild animals
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cap — a lid
  22. net — in sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. nail — for a hammer

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