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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — completely
  4. race — a contest
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — a grade
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — moving air

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