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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mug — a face
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mug — a cup
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — a contest
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — to trim
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. race — humankind
  16. degree — an amount
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. race — the arms race

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