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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: lie · stick · bat · chip · swing · pitch · mug · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mug — to rob
  14. swing — music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lie — to recline
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mug — a face
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. race — humankind

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