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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 120 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: pop · deal · ground · pitch · race · perch · racket · lie

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — to visit
  3. lie — to recline
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pop — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pop — soda
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ground — a position
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — the fish

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