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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — what's left
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cold — not warm
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — a break
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — an illness
  17. season — of the year
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kick — in football
  20. season — in sport
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. race — a contest
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. march — music

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