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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 116 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — hurry
  3. season — in sport
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — a partner
  9. face — to confront
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — a position
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stand — to bear
  24. face — to point toward

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