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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. race — a contest
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — completely
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — the arms race
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. file — a document
  22. mark — a grade
  23. race — humankind
  24. file — a line of people

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