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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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Word bank
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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: game · track · hide · pitch · race · tear · cue · leaves

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. race — the arms race
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. race — humankind
  10. tear — from crying
  11. game — wild animals
  12. track — a path
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — a match
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitch — completely
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cue — a signal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cue — for pool

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