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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. squash — the sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. clip — a video
  9. charge — in control
  10. net — after costs
  11. charge — a price
  12. race — a contest
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. clip — to cut
  17. net — for catching
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. craft — boats
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. craft — a skill
  23. clip — for paper
  24. charge — electricity

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