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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: file · tear · cue · pound · ball · pitch · race · hide

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tear — to rip
  4. file — a line of people
  5. race — a contest
  6. file — a tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. file — a document
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ball — a great time
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitch — completely

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