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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — a country
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. race — a contest
  13. rash — a series
  14. race — humankind
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. land — ground
  18. chair — a leader
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rash — hasty
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — the arms race

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