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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. season — in sport
  3. race — humankind
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stem — to come from
  7. race — a contest
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitch — completely
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. season — of the year

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