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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. cue — a hint
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. race — a contest
  7. cue — a signal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cell — in biology
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — for tennis

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