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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. kid — child
  5. row — a line
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. race — the arms race
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pass — a permit
  12. field — farmland
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — for pool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cue — a signal

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