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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kid — child
  3. race — humankind
  4. rule — a law
  5. track — a song
  6. race — a contest
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rule — government
  14. track — a path
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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