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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. race — humankind
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — a partner
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mate — a friend
  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