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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. firm — a company
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. season — of the year
  7. race — the arms race
  8. firm — decided
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — in sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. firm — steady
  18. race — humankind
  19. net — for catching
  20. race — a contest
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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