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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — in music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. race — humankind
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitch — completely
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mug — a cup
  11. degree — an amount
  12. key — the most important part
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — money
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. capital — a city
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mug — a face
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mug — to rob
  24. capital — a big letter

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