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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. face — to confront
  3. race — a contest
  4. spell — letters
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lean — to bend
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spell — magic
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. race — the arms race
  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