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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — in sport
  3. race — a contest
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. root — of a word
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. root — the cause
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. season — of the year
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pass — to succeed

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