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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitch — completely
  3. present — a gift
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. present — there
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — a series
  13. bank — for money
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ball — a great time
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — hasty
  20. key — the most important part
  21. race — a contest
  22. present — the time now
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. race — the arms race

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