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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. race — a contest
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — crushed
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ground — a position
  24. deal — an agreement

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