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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. track — a song
  8. race — the arms race
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. track — a path
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — to paddle
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mate — a partner
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mate — a friend
  21. row — a line
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. ruler — for measuring

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