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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hand — help
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. firm — a company
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. hand — in cards
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. firm — steady
  14. stock — shares
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. firm — decided
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. foot — a measure
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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