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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: nail · pitch · pound · lie · kid · prune · pass · race

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — humankind
  12. kid — child
  13. race — the arms race
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lie — to recline
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pitch — a sports field

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