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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitch — completely
  3. race — a contest
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — a friend
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ball — a dance
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. race — humankind
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. net — after costs
  15. key — the most important part
  16. foot — a measure
  17. ball — a great time
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — the arms race
  20. key — in music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mate — a partner
  24. patient — a sick person

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