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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. race — humankind
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. race — a contest
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. row — to paddle

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