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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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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. race — humankind
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. plane — a tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. swing — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bark — to shout
  22. race — a contest
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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