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

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. land — ground
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. race — a contest
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ground — a position
  10. wake — a trail
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ground — the earth
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. roll — a list
  22. land — a country
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ground — crushed

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