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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. track — a path
  6. race — the arms race
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — a song
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitch — completely
  12. scale — in music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — to rip
  18. race — humankind
  19. track — to keep track
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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