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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. key — the most important part
  4. race — the arms race
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. game — wild animals
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. key — in music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — a country
  15. press — newspapers
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — to push
  24. pitch — completely

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