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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. firm — a company
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. race — humankind
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cold — not warm
  11. roll — a cake
  12. firm — steady
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. race — a contest
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. firm — decided
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pass — a permit
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

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