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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 120 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: ground · bat · bass · fan · cue · net · race · season

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bass — the fish
  5. race — humankind
  6. cue — a hint
  7. ground — crushed
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — after costs
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ground — a position
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. season — in sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. net — for catching
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cue — for pool
  23. race — a contest
  24. fan — to cool the air

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