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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. race — humankind
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — low music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ball — a great time
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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