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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: pitcher · mark · wind · fan · mate · race · pass · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — a contest
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. race — humankind
  23. mate — a friend
  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