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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pit — a hole
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rock — a stone
  17. race — humankind
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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