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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lean — thin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ground — a position
  12. clip — a video
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pop — music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. ground — the earth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pop — soda
  24. mouse — for a computer

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