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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. land — ground
  4. object — an aim
  5. land — to come down
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. land — a country
  9. object — a thing
  10. net — after costs
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — for catching
  13. object — to protest
  14. net — in sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. cue — a hint
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. race — a contest
  21. pop — soda
  22. cue — for pool
  23. lie — to recline
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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