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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. march — music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pass — a permit
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. race — the arms race
  24. march — the month

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