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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · cabinet · pitch · foot · race · lean · tear · drill

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. club — a group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. club — for golf
  7. drill — a practice
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — to bend
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. race — a contest
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. club — for dancing
  21. race — humankind
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tear — from crying

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