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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.

Words on the sheet
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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. scale — size or range
  3. present — there
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — completely
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. scale — in music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. present — a gift
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — the time now
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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