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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rock — music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitch — completely
  10. file — a document
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rock — a stone
  13. spring — of water
  14. file — a tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rash — hasty
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. safe — out of danger

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