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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: pitch · current · fall · cap · hide · straw · roll · race

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. race — the arms race
  4. current — electric
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — humankind
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — the season
  11. current — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fall — to drop
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — a lid
  19. race — a contest
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. roll — on a roll

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