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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — to go on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. race — a contest
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. spring — the season

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