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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cold — not warm
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. last — final
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. game — wild animals
  17. last — finally
  18. ground — a position
  19. pit — a hole
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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