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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. race — the arms race
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. deal — to handle
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — a contest
  8. track — a path
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. track — to keep track
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. race — humankind
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. track — a song
  19. pitch — completely
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. content — videos and posts

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