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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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Word bank
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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: saw · staff · rash · spring · tube · race · rest · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitch — completely
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — the season
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. staff — a stick
  15. saw — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. rash — hasty
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — a series

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