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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mate — a friend
  4. clip — a video
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. mate — to breed
  11. march — music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. race — the arms race
  17. march — the month
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mate — a partner

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