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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: jam · mug · mine · safe · last · pitcher · race · field

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — the arms race
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — for digging
  8. race — a contest
  9. mug — a cup
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. race — humankind
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. field — farmland
  15. last — finally
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. last — final
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — a face
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — to go on

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