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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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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: stand · race · land · net · jam · row · ground · game

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. land — a country
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. game — wild animals
  5. net — for catching
  6. race — humankind
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — to paddle
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — a position
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. row — a line
  15. stand — to bear
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. race — a contest
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ground — the earth
  24. row — a quarrel

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