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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stand — to bear
  9. swing — in golf
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cap — a lid
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — to go on
  15. race — humankind
  16. swing — to play on
  17. last — finally
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. swing — music
  24. cap — a hat

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