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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. firm — a company
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. firm — steady
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wound — an injury
  21. race — humankind
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. firm — decided
  24. coach — a trainer

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