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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — the amount
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. content — happy
  9. race — humankind
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — in sport
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. race — the arms race
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ground — a position
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — a contest

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