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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. swing — music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pitch — completely
  6. row — a line
  7. squash — the sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rest — a break
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. race — humankind
  13. fork — in a road
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. race — a contest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — clever
  21. swing — to play on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. fork — to eat with

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