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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: net · game · mark · race · object · swing · track · pass

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pass — a permit
  3. net — in sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. object — a thing
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. race — a contest
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mark — a grade
  11. race — humankind
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — an aim
  15. race — the arms race
  16. track — to keep track
  17. swing — music
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. track — a song
  20. mark — a trace
  21. track — a path
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. net — after costs

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