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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · mate · pit · wound · court · nail · current · bass

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bass — the fish
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. race — a contest
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. court — of law
  18. race — humankind
  19. court — for sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. current — happening now
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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