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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ground — a position
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. race — a contest
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — the earth
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. toast — bread
  15. can — a tin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ground — crushed
  18. perch — the fish
  19. can — a tin
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. race — humankind

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