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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. ground — crushed
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitch — completely
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — to put up with

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