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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: cap · pop · kid · race · suit · net · snap · firm

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — for catching
  4. kid — child
  5. race — a contest
  6. suit — clothes
  7. race — humankind
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. firm — a company
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pop — soda
  12. firm — steady
  13. suit — to fit
  14. net — in sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. snap — to click
  17. net — after costs
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cap — a lid
  20. firm — decided
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cap — a hat
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. race — the arms race

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