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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: game · jam · dip · last · race · hand · rash · tube

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. race — humankind
  3. tube — the underground
  4. race — the arms race
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rash — hasty
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. last — finally
  13. hand — in cards
  14. race — a contest
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. last — to go on
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. hand — help
  23. last — final
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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