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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — the season
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. race — a contest
  17. chair — a leader
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lean — thin

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