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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. current — electric
  4. race — the arms race
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. firm — a company
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitch — completely
  14. firm — decided
  15. stock — goods
  16. firm — steady
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stock — shares
  22. current — happening now
  23. race — a contest
  24. sharp — clever

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