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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: firm · stand · race · cold · staff · game · pitch · mate

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. firm — decided
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitch — completely
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. staff — a stick
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — to bear
  14. race — humankind
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — steady
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. race — a contest
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. firm — a company

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