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

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. race — a contest
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — letters
  9. mug — a cup
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. swing — to play on
  18. toast — bread
  19. can — a tin
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mug — to rob
  23. race — humankind
  24. spell — a short time

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