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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. board — to get on
  6. race — humankind
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. row — a line
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bear — the animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitch — completely
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wound — an injury

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