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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. net — for catching
  3. race — the arms race
  4. net — in sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. drill — army training
  7. mug — a cup
  8. race — a contest
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. net — after costs
  13. drill — the tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pitch — completely
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mug — to rob
  20. charge — a price
  21. spring — a coil
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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