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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. race — humankind
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitch — completely
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pass — a permit
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — a contest
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitch — a sports field

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