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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: race · arm · net · march · rule · lash · pitch · pound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rule — a law
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rule — government
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — for catching
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — the month
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. net — in sport

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