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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 124 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. bat — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. race — a contest
  12. pass — a permit
  13. kid — child
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. hand — help
  19. pitch — completely
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. race — the arms race

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