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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pitch — completely
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. face — to confront
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stand — to bear
  13. face — to point toward
  14. race — the arms race
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — to cut
  20. snap — to click
  21. clip — a video
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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