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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. firm — a company
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bat — the animal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. firm — steady
  11. spell — magic
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — letters
  16. firm — decided
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — music
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitch — completely
  22. degree — temperature
  23. staff — employees
  24. pop — soda

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