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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — to go on
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — final
  19. race — humankind
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitch — completely
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wind — to turn a key

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