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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. race — humankind
  3. rash — a series
  4. cue — a hint
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — for pool
  7. net — for catching
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. last — final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. race — the arms race
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cue — a signal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. race — a contest

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