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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — a song
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. track — a path
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pitch — completely
  9. race — a contest
  10. foot — a measure
  11. season — in sport
  12. race — the arms race
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — a stone
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. race — humankind
  19. snap — to click
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tear — from crying

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