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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 116 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
468
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 · game · rest · saw · lean · bat · bass · fine

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. race — humankind
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rest — a break
  12. bass — low music
  13. lean — thin
  14. fine — all right
  15. game — a match
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — a contest

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