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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 124 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. pitch — completely
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. track — a song
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rest — a break
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rest — what's left

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