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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: ruler · lie · pitch · stock · race · sharp · swing · mark

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — goods
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — a contest
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. race — the arms race
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. swing — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ruler — for measuring

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