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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cap — of ice
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — a contest
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kick — in football
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cap — a hat
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — to trim

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