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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — there
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. charge — a price
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. race — humankind
  10. present — a gift
  11. race — a contest
  12. stand — to bear
  13. present — the time now
  14. spring — a coil
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spring — the season
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — of water
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitch — completely

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