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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: jam · ground · straw · race · game · fan · mark · season

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. ground — a position
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — of the year
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. season — in sport
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — crushed
  18. race — a contest
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. straw — dry grass

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