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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: object · ground · mug · arm · pass · squash · net · race

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — an aim
  3. mug — a cup
  4. ground — crushed
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mug — a face
  7. race — the arms race
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. race — a contest
  12. object — a thing
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. object — to protest
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ground — a position
  18. pass — a permit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mug — to rob
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. net — for catching

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