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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hand — in cards
  4. race — a contest
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bass — low music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. bass — the fish
  14. race — humankind
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — help
  24. last — finally

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