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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. firm — a company
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — final
  6. land — ground
  7. cue — for pool
  8. present — the time now
  9. pitch — completely
  10. present — a gift
  11. cue — a signal
  12. last — to go on
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bound — tied together
  16. land — to come down
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — certain
  19. last — finally
  20. firm — steady
  21. race — a contest
  22. present — there
  23. firm — decided
  24. cue — a hint

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