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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ball — a great time

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