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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 116 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spell — a short time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. race — humankind
  11. lie — to recline
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. spell — letters
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — a contest
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mine — an explosive

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