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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. file — a tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. face — to confront
  15. file — a document
  16. race — the arms race
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — to get on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. file — a line of people

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