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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — a cup
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. mug — to rob
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — a box
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pop — soda
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pop — music
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pitch — a sports field

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