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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. saw — the tool
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — a law
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pass — a permit
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rule — government
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. race — humankind

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