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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. race — the arms race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rash — a series
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. race — a contest

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