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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — a tool
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. clip — a video
  12. rule — a law
  13. race — humankind
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lean — thin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hand — help
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — government
  22. lean — to bend
  23. race — a contest
  24. clip — for paper

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