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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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468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — humankind
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. squash — to crush
  6. club — for golf
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. race — the arms race
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. squash — the sport
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to sink
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — in music

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