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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. date — the fruit
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fine — high quality
  19. object — a thing
  20. fine — all right
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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