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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. race — humankind
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mark — a trace
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — money
  14. ground — a position
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. race — a contest
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ground — crushed
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ground — the earth
  24. capital — a big letter

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