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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. file — a line of people
  3. race — a contest
  4. file — a tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. file — a document
  8. court — for sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stock — goods
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — completely
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. charge — in control
  18. can — to be able to
  19. race — humankind
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pitch — a sports field

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