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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — to crush
  4. kick — in football
  5. pitch — completely
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rash — a series
  10. chair — a leader
  11. race — a contest
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. squash — the sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pitcher — a jug

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