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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: can · wake · pitcher · mark · fall · race · hand · net

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. race — humankind
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. race — a contest
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — a trail
  20. race — the arms race
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mark — a grade

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