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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.

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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: bowl · mine · mark · suit · pound · race · net · chair

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — humankind
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — after costs
  9. mark — a grade
  10. net — for catching
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. net — in sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mine — for digging
  16. race — a contest
  17. pound — a weight
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chair — a leader
  24. suit — clothes

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